Tesla Model 3 Dual Motor, AWD, Performance Version Specs Revealed

Elon Musk has revealed the preliminary specs and pricing for the dual-motor all-wheel-drive and performance versions of the Model 3. The AWD performance Model 3 will do 0-60 in less than four seconds and reach 155 MPH, while the normal dual-motor will do 0-60 in 4.5 seconds and reach 140 MPH. Both will feature 310 miles of driving range.

What is the cost of such performance? $78,000 including "cost of all options, wheels, paint, etc. (apart from Autopilot)," says Musk. The CEO continued, "About same as BMW M3, but 15-percent quicker & with better handling. Will beat anything in its class on the track," he claims. (BMW's 3.0-liter turbocharged sport sedan features 425 horsepower, a 3.9-second 0-60 time and starts at $66,500).

In before people whining that they're still waiting for their $35k version, yet at the same time complain that Tesla isn't profitable yet. These two things are in conflict, so Tesla (wisely) has decided to sell the highest-end most-profitable cars first, the cheap cars will come later after the production has scaled up. It just makes the most sense.

I like how we're still pricing cars beyond what most people make in a year. Even $35k is still more than what most people make in a year.

16 to 19 years: $422 weekly/$21,944 annually

20 to 24 years: $525 weekly/$27,300 annually

25 to 34 years: $776 weekly/$40,352 annually

35 to 44 years: $976 weekly/$50,752 annually

45 to 54 years: $975 weekly/$50,700 annually

55 to 64 years: $966 weekly/$50,232 annually

65 years and older: $904 weekly/$47,008 annually

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Just because some people can’t afford fancy things doesn’t mean others have the same issue. Tesla hasn’t been a budget brand and probably won’t ever be until they run out of people with nearly $50k+ to spend on a vehicle.

Do you mean can refill everywhere with electricity? That's the same for every EV so not special to Tesla.

If you mean can't recharge anywhere with no electricity then that's the same as saying "Can't fill up anywhere there's not a gas station" for ICE cars. I can safely say there are more electric plugs in the US than gas stations
If you want fast charging then there are plenty of those too between Tesla and ChargePoint. In either case most charging is done at home. No need to make trips to some rundown gas station

Just because some people can’t afford fancy things doesn’t mean others have the same issue. Tesla hasn’t been a budget brand and probably won’t ever be until they run out of people with nearly $50k+ to spend on a vehicle.

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Thing is most people can't. People just get auto loans and pay the monthly fee to be able to drive a car they can't possibly afford. About 6.3 million Americans haven't payed their auto loans in over 3 months, which I find alarming. I don't think cars should be costing anywhere near as much as they do now, and Tesla is (to me) just pushing this agenda.

Ford leaving he sedan/couple market is a sign of bad things to come in the auto industry.

Automaker don't really make that much money on car sales, they make more on parts sales. Tesla actually has a foot up since they don't have dealer networks to screw em over on the profits. Funny thing, but engineering and manufacturing isn't as easy as "not being lazy and just doing it." Add in a bunch of regulations, mandatory testing, multiple third-party suppliers to try and get on the same page, and cars are expensive to manufacture. I mean backup cameras are mandatory now.

They're not building Model A's in 15 minutes on the assembly line these days.

I like how we're still pricing cars beyond what most people make in a year. Even $35k is still more than what most people make in a year.

16 to 19 years: $422 weekly/$21,944 annually

20 to 24 years: $525 weekly/$27,300 annually

25 to 34 years: $776 weekly/$40,352 annually

35 to 44 years: $976 weekly/$50,752 annually

45 to 54 years: $975 weekly/$50,700 annually

55 to 64 years: $966 weekly/$50,232 annually

65 years and older: $904 weekly/$47,008 annually

Click to expand...

Your perspective is wrong - if you are looking at "what most people make in a year" then if you simply must buy a brand new car, you look at something like a Kia Rio, or one of the other basic economy brands. $14k for a brand new Rio fits far more easily into "most" people's budgets.

Problem is: people are stupid and want the luxury brand, or the big truck that gets 15MPG. And no matter how you slice it, Tesla is a luxury brand even when they build a "cheap" car.

This whole issue is no different than the people on government assistance who still somehow have the latest iPhone that costs 800+ dollars. The age old saying, "Champagne taste, on a beer budget" is causing people to buy things they can't afford, take 84 month loan terms, and a host of other stupid issues that is in no way the fault of Tesla.

People who don't know how to budget for their situation often use the term "but I need it", when you ask them further questions about it more often than not you realize they don't know why they need it, they can't afford it or justify it but still go through with the purchase. The next popular sob story we have coming up is all the ass hats that have been gobbling up trucks and SUVs are going to start crying how they can't afford to get to work with rising gas prices even though we've seen this entire scenario more than a few times in the past 30 years.

In before people whining that they're still waiting for their $35k version, yet at the same time complain that Tesla isn't profitable yet. These two things are in conflict, so Tesla (wisely) has decided to sell the highest-end most-profitable cars first, the cheap cars will come later after the production has scaled up. It just makes the most sense.

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That would make sense if Tesla hadn’t completely crapped the bed when it actually decided it was time to create a mass market car. They’re currently suffering from terrible QC and terrible management. That’s why they’re not only unprofitable, but also burning through insane amounts of cash.

A better strategy for Tesla would have been to remain a luxury car producer for the foreseeable future. Profit margins are significantly higher and it’s easier to maintain a brand image that people are willing to pay for. Trying to launch a mass market car with the kinds of issue Tesla is currently having was a terrible plan.

I like how we're still pricing cars beyond what most people make in a year. Even $35k is still more than what most people make in a year.

16 to 19 years: $422 weekly/$21,944 annually

20 to 24 years: $525 weekly/$27,300 annually

25 to 34 years: $776 weekly/$40,352 annually

35 to 44 years: $976 weekly/$50,752 annually

45 to 54 years: $975 weekly/$50,700 annually

55 to 64 years: $966 weekly/$50,232 annually

65 years and older: $904 weekly/$47,008 annually

Click to expand...

Um ok? They also price houses more than people make in a year. Same for boats and planes typically. Are you attempting to say that debt is bad and people should only live within their means? I would argue that as long as you can make the monthly payments are you living within your means...

If all you're making at 55 years old is 50k, you have no drive to succeed and in that case a new car is the least of your worries.

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lol not even close.. the field of work your are in determines your salary for the most part.. I am near 50 and do not make 50K but I live within my means and own my stuff outright...the last car I bought was 23K otd and I owe nothing on it... ditto for house.. owe nothing...

lol not even close.. the field of work your are in determines your salary for the most part.. I am near 50 and do not make 50K but I live within my means and own my stuff outright...the last car I bought was 23K otd and I owe nothing on it... ditto for house.. owe nothing...

Do you mean can refill everywhere with electricity? That's the same for every EV so not special to Tesla.

If you mean can't recharge anywhere with no electricity then that's the same as saying "Can't fill up anywhere there's not a gas station" for ICE cars. I can safely say there are more electric plugs in the US than gas stations
If you want fast charging then there are plenty of those too between Tesla and ChargePoint. In either case most charging is done at home. No need to make trips to some rundown gas station

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Is Tesla going to start putting chargers next to tracks, because you don't have any issues find gas stations next to them. If they're going to tout its track day performance, it better be able to make it through a track day.

Also, will this one be able to do a lap around the 'Ring without going into limp mode?

The next popular sob story we have coming up is all the ass hats that have been gobbling up trucks and SUVs are going to start crying how they can't afford to get to work with rising gas prices even though we've seen this entire scenario more than a few times in the past 30 years.

Click to expand...

Those people drive me nuts too. They were the first to trade-in their sedans as soon as gas dropped below $3/gallon.

A better strategy for Tesla would have been to remain a luxury car producer for the foreseeable future. Profit margins are significantly higher and it’s easier to maintain a brand image that people are willing to pay for. Trying to launch a mass market car with the kinds of issue Tesla is currently having was a terrible plan.

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Their recent announcements about SUVs/crossovers and now upscaled Model 3's leads me to believe that they have come to that conclusion as well. If they had car people run the show they would have known that until volume reaches the point that fixed costs are covered they have to charge premium prices -- and the public will not pay premium prices for sensible cars.

Is Tesla going to start putting chargers next to tracks, because you don't have any issues find gas stations next to them. If they're going to tout its track day performance, it better be able to make it through a track day.

Also, will this one be able to do a lap around the 'Ring without going into limp mode?

Doesnt surprise me. Commercial-grade brakes are not meant for speedways. I would have expected this person to have upgraded the brake pads prior to pushing it on the race track.

I don't need to race my 3 though. I have fun enough on the roads. Also going normal speeds and not slamming on brakes allows regenerative braking to do most of the slowing so brakes are seldom - really only for coming to a complete stop.

Doesnt surprise me. Commercial-grade brakes are not meant for speedways. I would have expected this person to have upgraded the brake pads prior to pushing it on the race track.

I don't need to race my 3 though. I have fun enough on the roads.

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He had already booked the track day when his Cayman GT4 had an issue the day before, so he took the Tesla. He burned the stock pads off in 9 miles of track time and his times were 21 seconds behind his GT4 times, we'll have to see what brake upgrades Tesla has on the Performance model. What pads should he have used on his standard model, I haven't found an upgrade? The base M4 (1:39.69 runs roughly 2 seconds slower than the Cayman GT4 (1:37.43) so Tesla has some work to do if it's going to beat BMW around the track.

He had already booked the track day when his Cayman GT4 had an issue the day before, so he took the Tesla. He burned the stock pads off in 9 miles of track time and his times were 21 seconds behind his GT4 times, we'll have to see what brake upgrades Tesla has on the Performance model. What pads should he have used on his standard model, I haven't found an upgrade? The base M4 (1:39.69 runs roughly 2 seconds slower than the Cayman GT4 (1:37.43) so Tesla has some work to do if it's going to beat BMW around the track.

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This being the single motor version, I wonder just how much faster the dual motor will be.

Also, do the motors do the regenerative braking or is it some other component in the drive train? I would still look at getting race-spec pads installed, but the more the regeneration drinks up, the less the brakes have to stop.

This being the single motor version, I wonder just how much faster the dual motor will be.

Also, do the motors do the regenerative braking or is it some other component in the drive train? I would still look at getting race-spec pads installed, but the more the regeneration drinks up, the less the brakes have to stop.

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The motors do it but the type of hard braking you're doing on a racetrack it's basically all friction, not a lot of regen.

Teslas IIRC are also different than the hybrids more people are used to. The brake pedal in my Accord during light/normal braking doesn't use the friction brakes, just increases regen. If I press it harder it'll engage the friction brakes (and the dash will change from green to blue to let me know I'm not being very efficient).

But the brake pedal on Teslas is ONLY for the friction brakes. Taking your foot off the gas engages max regen, and since most people driving to the store don't want to be launched towards the windshield as if they're hammering the brakes while approaching the corkscrew, that amount of regen "braking" isn't going to be anywhere close to what you use on a racetrack.

I think there's also some debate whether regenerative braking will really help Teslas get around a track quicker because their batteries already seem to be prone to overheating when pushed hard so cramming more energy back into them faster is going to make that worse.